True Stories
by reenka
Summary: It's simple, really', Luna said idly, staring off into the night. 'Let's never grow up'. [postHBP]


Disclaimer: not mine. 

Author's Note: first post-HBP... thing. W00t!!1 Oddly enough, I think this is for Amalin. 

-- 

- true stories - 

--

Once upon a time, there was a pale, quiet girl who believed in more magic than dragons could contain. She searched and wandered and never gave up, and she knew she couldn't possibly grow up until she was done. She had to find all the hidden secret things and name them, and show them to everyone, show them they _existed_. She had important business to attend to, but mostly she enjoyed things other girls didn't. Like feeding the Thestrals. 

At the same time, there was another girl who wanted to fight dragons like her big brother, or break evil curses like her other one, or maybe have fun with the boys hexing and flying and laughing. She didn't want to be a princess and fall in love with a prince, so it was awful and amazing and horrifying when she saw the most beautiful, impressive boy in the world, someone who made her feel like a _girl_, and he didn't know she existed. It didn't take long before she decided she was going to exist, to be more than just a girl, because most other girls enjoyed things she didn't. Like staying at home and talking. 

--

"I don't know what to do anymore," Ginny said into her knees, her toes cold while her belly was still warm from all the butterbeer. The sounds of Luna's flute floated by next to her, somehow soothing, and she felt oddly prickled awake yet sleepy. "I bloody hate this." 

"This what?" Luna said. 

"Life," Ginny said darkly. 

"Oh." 

--

"It's simple, really," Luna said idly, staring off into the night. "Let's never grow up." 

Ginny shivered, wrapping the blanket tighter around them. They've been like this for a couple of hours, and Luna had allowed it gracefully as usual, without asking any uncomfortable questions. She just sat with her on the porch, waiting for Ron's visit, which didn't look like it was going to happen. 

"Sometimes I think he's never coming back," Ginny whispered. "And it's _cold_, you know? I want to be out there with them, I want to-- I want to _do_ something, dammit. I can't stand being trapped and-- they think I'm just a girl, just his _girlfriend_, all of them, I know it." 

"Harry thinks you're a girl?" 

Ginny started and looked at Luna sideways, barely catching the small smile. "Yeah," she said, starting to grin in spite of herself. "I suppose so." 

Luna played another few notes of the soft melody she'd been going with the whole evening, her lips pursed against her fairy flute. "It's not so bad, being a girl. It's worth it to surprise them when they don't believe you can do it, I think." 

"I wish it were that simple, Luna," Ginny said with a laugh. 

"I know," she said, making a husky little trill with her flute. "That's why I said that, about not growing up. As long as you don't, you can do anything. They don't believe in you, see, so you can do it. You can surprise them." 

"How do you know?" 

"Oh, I don't know," Luna said easily. "But I always thought you don't have to become things you don't want to. Unless you're a Changeling, then you're sort of stuck." 

"What?" 

"I thought I was a Changeling before I came to Hogwarts, because... for many reasons. But ever since first year, I suspected it's only that I'm not like other people. There's a small difference, mostly unimportant, I'd say." 

"Yeah, well. I'm no Changeling, and I have to grow up, or else they'll never pay attention, will they." Ginny knocked her head back against the warm stone wall of the Burrow lightly, wishing she could kick this sudden maudlin mood where it hurt. But then, most things hurt right now. 

"I'll pay attention," Luna said softly around her flute, right before she went into a dippy, bouncy little melody that seemed completely out of place in the quiet summer night all around them. At least the fireflies joined her. 

"God. I've been being grown up about this stuff for _ages_. I'm tired, you know? I don't want to listen to his stupid hero talk. I just want to help." 

"I'll help you," Luna said. "If you want." 

"What can you do?" 

"I can tell you true stories." 

"Like what?" 

"I'm not sure," Luna said. "We haven't become the people in the stories yet. I can tell you one about me and Neville Longbottom's toad, that's from third year, but I'm not sure--" 

"No thanks," she said quickly. "And-- er-- doesn't that mean growing up?" Ginny said skeptically. 

"Not at all. I think it means a sort of metamorphosis. Where you're... you, except you've found what you're looking for." 

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You really don't make sense sometimes, you know that? But thanks. Er... I think." 

Luna inclined her head until it was almost resting on Ginny's shoulder, and she kept on playing until Ginny sighed and looked up at the sky along with her, wondering what it was she was supposed to change into. 

"What if he doesn't want me for myself, though?" she said quietly, gasping a bit because she didn't mean to say that at _all_; what had gotten into her? 

"What else could he want you for?" Luna asked slowly, and Ginny felt a bit warmer. 

"All right, all right," she chuckled. "I get it. I'll have to think of something." 

"We," Luna said. "And we could think together." 

Ginny grinned. "Right. We. Well, what can we do, anyway?" 

"We'll probably have to grow up," Luna said, playing a mournful note. "Or we could go back to Hogwarts and team up with Neville and do... various things. Like feed the Thestrals sometimes. And make sure to win the first Quidditch match against Slytherin. Someone has to, right?" 

"I can't believe you just brought up Quidditch," Ginny said with a snort. 

"Quidditch is important to me. I liked being allowed to contribute." 

"So you think... you think we can do things even there?" 

"Haven't we always?" 

"True story," Ginny said with a lopsided smile. "Though I don't exactly have much to brag about with my first year." 

"Everyone needs someone to talk to, when things get too big. You told me that, right?" 

"Yeah," Ginny said, glad to be silent while Luna played. 

--

Once upon a time, even though they weren't supposed to, two girls set out in search of true stories, Quidditch, a mission to recover the lost boys, and possibly themselves. 

Maybe not in that order. 


End file.
